5 bravest players in cricket history

In addition to being dubbed as "A Gentleman's Game", Cricket is one of the most dangerous sports in history. Over the course of the past several decades, numerous cricketers have been severely hurt while playing the game. Raman Lamba, an Indian player, suffered a fatal injury in a Premier Division cricket match in Bangladesh, and died 3 days later after falling into a coma.

In addition to injuries, there's the pressure of delivering your absolute best in front of a packed stadium, especially when the opposition is coming at you with everything they've got. It surely does take a lot to build a long-standing career as a cricketer. This list is a compilation of five legendary cricketers who displayed the ultimate acts of heroism while being in the field.

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#5 Don Bradman vs England

The Bodyline Series

Bodyline is a term not many cricket fans are aware of. It's also known as the fast leg theory bowling, devised by the England cricket team during the 1932-33 Ashes tour of Australia. The tactic was primarily used to get an upper hand against arguably the greatest cricketer of all time, Sir Donald Bradman.

The incredibly dangerous tactic saw the bowler bowl a high-pitched delivery, targeted at the batsman's upper body area, in hopes of garnering an edge off the bat for the nearby fielders to take advantage of. The tactic was severely slammed by critics, and the English team was accused of making a mockery of a game that was supposed to be played in a spirit of friendliness.

Bradman scored 396 runs in the series, at an average of 56.57, with his heroic knock of 103 off 146 deliveries in the 2nd test match being hailed as one of his greatest innings.

#4 Arjuna Ranatunga stands up for Muralitharan

Ranatunga standing up for Murali

It's no secret that Muttiah Muralitharan wasn't well received by the Aussie crowds during Sri Lanka's tour of Australia in 1999. In a One Day International against England at the Adelaide Oval, Australian Umpire Ross Emerson wasn't convinced with Murali's bowling action, and proceeded to call no-ball on his delivery. This led to the game being halted for 12 minutes, with Sri-Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga threatening to leave the field along with the entire team.

Sri Lankan officials contacted Colombo and the decision was made for the team to return back to the field. Ranatunga proceeded to bring Murali from the other end this time, to save him from Emerson's criticism. Later on in the match, Alec Stewart sledged Ranatunga for his actions against the authority. Sri Lanka went on to chase the mammoth target of 303, with Murali stealing a single to secure the win for his team. He went on to become one of the greatest spinners of all time, thanks to Ranatunga, who fought against the authority on that fateful day, and stood up for Murali.

#3 Graeme Smith bats with a broken hand

Graeme Smith

The Sydney test between Australia and South Africa will always be remembered for being witness to one of the most heroic feats in the history of cricket.

A brutal delivery by Michell Johnson left Graeme Smith with a broken hand, forcing him to retire hurt at 30. On the final day of the game, the visitors needed to survive 8.2 overs with one wicket in hand. To a thunderous ovation, Graeme Smith made his way to the ground and joined South-African pacer Makhaya Ntini, with the sole aim of managing to fend off the Australian bowlers for the remaining overs and prevent a loss.

To everyone's surprise, Smith and Ntini managed to do the same for a good six overs. With only two overs left, the stadium watched in suspense and awe, as Johnson finally caught the bails and sent Smith packing. Although he lost the game that day, Smith went on to earn the respect of the entire cricket community for his bravery in the field.

#2 Anil Kumble plays after suffering a broken jaw

Kumble celebrating after dismissing Lara

Longtime Indian cricket fans remember Anil Kumble for being one of only two cricketers to ever have taken all ten wickets in an innings. What many aren't aware of is the fact that the legendary leg spinner once did his job with a bandaged face.

The Antigua test between India and West Indies in 2002 saw Anil Kumble come out with a bandage wrapped around his head, thanks to a lethal delivery by Merv Dillon that had broken his jaw.

He managed to bowl 14 consecutive overs and also sent Brian Lara to the pavilion. Vivian Richards, former West Indies cricketer and a legitimate cricketing legend, later stated that Kumble bowling with a broken jaw was one of the bravest things he had ever seen. When Kumble was asked about the incident, his response couldn't have been any more simple and to the point, as he said: "I didn't want to sit around".

#1 Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi plays with one eye

Tiger Pataudi

Dubbed as one of India's greatest cricket captains, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi suffered an injury after being involved in a car accident in Hove, in 1961. A shard of glass penetrated his right eye, damaging it for good.

Despite having one good eye, Pataudi went on to resume his cricket practice, and tried learning to play with one eye. He soon made his test debut against England in late 1961, and his century in the third Madras test helped India win a test series against England for the first time ever.

He became the youngest cricket captain in the world in March 1962, when an injury forced sitting captain Nari Contractor to go into recovery. He ended his test career after appearing in 46 matches and scoring 2,793 runs. Called by many as 'Tiger', Pataudi will go down in Indian cricket history as one of the bravest cricketers to ever grace this sport.